


Agreeable Friends

by Lauralot



Series: Alexander Pierce should have died slower [30]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Animals, Gardens & Gardening, Gen, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 10:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10003745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lauralot/pseuds/Lauralot
Summary: Bucky likes caring for others.It's just that he's afraid of breaking them.





	

  
**"Animals are such agreeable friends ― they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."**  
— George Eliot

  


The Soldier isn’t sure how the plant will be able to breathe.

The African violet has outgrown its original small plastic container, and so the Soldier is transferring it to one of Pepper’s larger, empty clay pots. She had said it was all right, that she had more than enough. Apparently, Tony had once forgotten a holiday and overcompensated by providing her with very many garden supplies as gifts. The Soldier has consulted no less than a dozen resources of the care of African violets in preparation for the repotting, from books to blogs by award-winning gardeners.

He has disinfected the new pot in a solution of water and bleach. He has ensured the pot will allow for adequate drainage. The soil in the pot is specifically for African violets, and the Soldier took immense care not to damage the plant when uprooting it. The last step is sealing the violet in a plastic bag. Over half of the sources he’s checked have recommended this, but the Soldier still isn’t sure about it.

The method consists of placing the flower a large, clear plastic bag, and closing off the top with a twist tie. The plant is then to remain in the bag for a week. This increases the humidity, apparently, and is meant to reduce any ‘transplant shock.’ That part, at least, makes sense to the Soldier. It’s easier to react to everything changing without having to interact at first. It’s easier to rest when secluded from all things strange and overwhelming, literally sealed off from the outside world, able to heal and breathe.

Except he can’t see how the plant will breathe through the plastic.

“Hey Bucky,” Steve says, and the Soldier jolts. He hadn’t heard the rooftop door open. Steve is already halfway to him, walking between Pepper’s neatly arranged rows of flowers and vegetables. “You about done? Dinner’s ready, and Pepper said she used the tomatoes you helped her with in the salad.”

The Soldier’s face heats, and he looks down as he smiles. “I’m almost finished.” There’s soil on his hands from the repotting. He tries to wipe as much off as he can on the rim of the new pot.

“Anything I can help with?” Steve asks.

“I’m meant to put the violets in a plastic bag for a week,” the Soldier says. He feels himself frowning now, staring at the flower placed in the bag but not sealed off. “But I’m not sure how it will breathe.”

“There’s oxygen in the dirt, right?” Steve settles beside him, crouching down to examine his work. “Probably a lot of it, if it’s all new.”

The Soldier considers this. There was always enough air in the cryotank to keep him alive, sometimes for years. The soil will likely sustain the violets for a week with both oxygen and water. With a nod, he carefully eases the bag up over the entirety of the plant, careful not to snag the leaves. He pinches the top of the plastic shut, looking around for the twist tie.

Steve’s holding it out to him. “Repotting looks like a lot of work,” he says. “Maybe it oughta be worth two stars, this much effort. You think?”

The Soldier feels his face redden again, shrugging. “It was easier than pruning.” Well, less nerve-wracking than pulling the leaves from a delicate plant, at least. And it was much more calming than running out to the garden in the middle of the night to protect the violets from an unexpected frost.

“I never knew plants needed so much care,” Steve says.

The Soldier shrugs at that, unsure of what to say.

“Your chart’s almost completely filled up,” Steve adds, standing. He offers his hand to the Soldier. “Have you decided what you want for this month’s reward?”

“No.” Truth be told, the Soldier hadn’t thought about it yet at all. Sometimes the prospect of being rewarded for completing missions is still so overwhelming. And other times, more and more often as of late, he’s simply distracted with other thoughts and activities.

“I have an idea,” Steve says. But he hesitates as he says it, pausing as he starts back toward the door. “If you wanted to, I mean. If you don’t, that’s okay.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I’ve just been thinking. You spend so much time up here, gardening, and that makes you happy, right? Taking care of the plants.”

“Yes,” the Soldier says. They reach the door and he holds it open. The only thing he does not like about gardening is the way the soil gets under his nails and between the plates of his hand, but he’s ordered gardening gloves to fix that. JARVIS said earlier that they should arrive within two business days.

“Right. So I figured if you like taking care of plants, maybe you’d like a pet?”

The Soldier does not intend to release the door so abruptly that it swings back and collides with Steve. But that’s what happens.

*

“Tarantulas,” Tasha says. She’s lying on the bed, tossing Red Panda up in the air. Red Panda calls this flying. Bucky Bear calls it indignity.

“Wouldn’t Charlotte get jealous?” Bucky asks. Charlotte is the spider that he gave Tasha for Christmas. Right now, Charlotte is dangling off the side of Tasha’s bunk beds, staring down at them. She spends a lot of time in high places, watching.

“Charlotte _always_ says we don’t have enough spiders,” Tasha responds. “ _She_ says you should get tarantulas too.”

Bucky is not at all sure how he feels about tarantulas. Or any sort of spider. When they were at dinner, Pepper had suggested fish, but all Bucky could think of was the movie night where everybody watched _Finding Nemo,_ and how sad it was. He can’t have fish if that’s all he’s going to think about when he sees them.

He’s not sure if he can have pets at all. Or at least, if he _should._ Plants are different. They’re alive, but not the same way animals are. They just need dirt and water and sunshine and sometimes new pots. They can’t be sad or scared or lonely. Animals can be all those things, and Bucky has no idea if he can make them happy. Lucky always wags his tail when Bucky plays with him, sure, but Lucky does that for everyone. Bucky thinks he’d even wag his tail around Rumlow, and Rumlow’s the grumpiest person ever.

“They’re too little,” Bucky says, because Tasha and Charlotte and Red Panda are staring at him and he has to say something.

“What?” Tasha’s rolled over now, lying on her tummy and staring at him with her head tilted.

“Tarantulas,” Bucky says. “What if I stepped on one by accident?” Or got scared by something with a tarantula in his hand and squeezed too tight? He hit Daddy with the door earlier by accident. His nose got all bruised for a little bit, and he’s a super soldier. A little animal wouldn’t stand a chance.

“You wouldn’t,” Tasha says.

“I could.”

“What about a puppy, then?” Tasha props herself up on her elbows now, words coming out fast and excited. “We could teach her to sit and roll over and get us snacks and she could grow up and marry Lucky and have even more puppies.”

“Wouldn’t Lucky get jealous of a new dog?”

“When have you ever seen Lucky get jealous?” Tasha counters.

Bucky thinks about dogs. The big ones like Lucky need a lot of exercise, and those would be the safer ones for a super soldier to snuggle and play with. They need a lot of time outside. What if Bucky’s feeling really sad and can’t get out of bed and his dog thinks Bucky doesn’t love it? Or what if they do go out and there’s somebody waiting outside the tower who’s mad about the Winter Soldier? That doesn’t usually happen, but sometimes it has and Bucky’s gotten yelled at. What if that person hurts his dog?

Bucky Bear interrupts to say that Lucky once carried him around the tower in his _mouth_ and the indignity was so great that Bucky Bear would just die of shame if it ever happened again. He says another dog that stays with Bucky all the time would greatly threaten the Bearvengers and their ability to stay in an un-chewed, un-torn up state.

“Bucky Bear doesn’t like dogs,” Bucky explains.

“He doesn’t like anything!” Tasha says. She flops onto her back again. “Well, what does _he_ think you should get?”

 _A bear_ is Bucky Bear’s immediate answer, which doesn’t surprise anybody.

*

Unsurprisingly, Tony dealt with Tasha and Bucky ambushing him in the lab to talk about pet bears by explaining that bears are wild animals who wouldn’t be happy stuck in the tower. No, not even if they brought in plants and salmon and everything bears like. No, koalas wouldn’t be good pets either. They need to sleep at least sixteen hours every day.

Bucky flushes a little at the memory, and all he types into the chat is “Tony vetoed bears. Any other pet ideas?”

Crystal’s the first to respond: “Ever had pets before? Cats are great, they mostly look after themselves.”

“Your cat got his head stuck under a dresser,” Bucky types back.

“Pico de Gato is not the brightest specimen of catkind. He’s still adorable.”

“He probably wouldn’t be happy if I showed up at your place smelling like some weird cat,” Bucky points out. And now that he’s said it, Bucky Bear is imagining all the cat dander getting everywhere, including on his nice coat. And the claws. No cats.

“A tortoise” is Mayling’s suggestion.

“Birds?” Dakota types.

“Do birds have to stay in cages all the time?” Bucky asks. It doesn’t sound fair to the bird.

“IDK,” is the reply. “Don’t they poop whenever they take off, tho?”

 _Absolutely not,_ Bucky Bear says immediately.

“Sea monkeys?” Judah offers.

“Those barely count as alive,” Crystal counters. “Even ants at least build tunnels.”

“Sugar gliders are cute,” Mayling suggests.

“Ooh, pot-bellied pigs!”

“I hear hedgehogs are nice pets.”

“Chinchillas?”

“Axolotls are the coolest things ever.”

“Tamanduas!”

“You should get a capybara.”

“Are you just making up animals now?” Bucky types, which leads to everyone linking to Youtube videos.

*

The other Winter Soldiers are probably the last people Bucky should consult about the care and keeping of domesticated animals. He can’t imagine that HYDRA let its elite death squad get attached to any pets. And if their missions prior to being put on ice were anything like Bucky’s, then they likely ended up fighting off guard dogs at least once.

But Steve’s taking him to the animal shelter in two days and Bucky still has no idea what sort of pet he can care for, if he can care for any of them at all. If he asks Freddie, she’s sure to offer up some kind of reptile, and from what Bucky’s read about them, very few like to be handled excessively. He’d get paranoid that every time he had to pick up the snake or lizard or whatever that he’d be making it miserable. It’s stupid, but his brain’s latched onto it the same way that he can only think of Nemo separated from Marlin when he sees a fish tank.

So he might as well ask the ducklings instead, even if they were total failures at walking Lucky, a thing Bucky hadn’t thought possible before he’d seen it.

“Might be getting a pet,” he types into the group text, adding “Yes, I’ll let you meet it, but what should I get if it’s not a cat or a dog?” before he hits send. Otherwise, he’d be dealing with five instantaneous texts, all some variant of “CAN I HOLD IT?” 

“CAN WE PLAY WITH IT?” is Leo’s immediate response anyway.

The ducklings each have cell phones that lack any sort of Internet connection. They can only dial or text to numbers preset by Tony or their doctors.

“Depends on what it is,” Bucky responds.

Tesla’s the first to make a suggestion. “A rabbit?”

“NO.” The phone shakes in Bucky’s hand. Okay, so they need to have a discussion about that trigger some time when he doesn’t feel sick just thinking about it.

“Ducks.” That’s Josef.

“I live in a tower,” Bucky reminds them.

“Stark has the money to make indoor lakes and grass,” Josef retorts. “He had the money to make this place to hold us.”

‘Hold us’ is a slightly worrying word choice, but Bucky figures that’s a discussion for their psychiatrists. “No ducks. Think of animals that don’t need big open spaces to be happy.”

“Aren’t there domesticated wolves?” Dmitri asks.

“Again: no big open spaces.”

“Get an eagle,” Arkady offers.

Bucky decides this conversation isn’t headed anywhere fruitful.

*

Bucky and Bucky Bear are in his science fort, which is actually a workbench in Tony’s lab with a blanket over it that they sit under when the rest of the lab is too overwhelming. Sometimes Dum-E pokes his claw in, but his whole body can’t fit. Usually, the science fort either has books or a tablet so Bucky can watch science things on the Internet.

Today, though, the fort is pretty empty. There’s only one day left before Bucky’s going with Daddy to the animal shelter, and he still doesn’t know of any animals he can care for. He and Bucky Bear are trying to narrow down the choices without any distractions, but Bucky keeps worrying about things and Bucky Bear doesn’t like any animals that aren’t stuffed toys. He says they’re dangerous any other way.

Maybe he shouldn’t get a pet. He doesn’t think a pet would be very happy with him as an owner. But he doesn’t have any other ideas for rewards. And what if it hurts Daddy’s feelings that Bucky doesn’t like his idea?

Bucky’s so focused on choosing a pet that he doesn’t realize Bruce is saying his name until Bruce crawls halfway into the fort. Bucky jumps and hits his head against the bottom of the table. “Sorry,” he says, rubbing at his hair.

“Don’t be. I’m sorry I scared you.” Bruce’s voice is always so soft. “It’s good to see you, Bucky. Did you want a cup of tea? I’m about to make some.”

“Maybe.” Bucky isn’t sure if there’s time for tea. Then he blurts out, “What kind of animals do you like best?”

Bruce looks confused. “Animals?”

“Daddy says I can have a pet,” Bucky explains. “But...” He trails off, unsure of what to say. He doesn’t think he can make a pet happy. He doesn’t know what kind of pet would like the tower. All pets have to be Bucky Bear approved, and Bucky Bear doesn’t trust any of them. There’s a lot of problems.

But Bruce is so nice and gentle. He always cheers Bucky up when Bucky’s sad or scared. He reads stories and makes really good tea and always knows when to talk and when to be quiet. Bucky’s only ever seen Lucky wag his tail around Bruce, so that probably means he’s as good with animals as he is with people.

“I like rats,” Bruce says.

“ _Rats_?” Bucky’s never heard of anyone liking rats unless they’re the Pixar kind.

“Or mice. I like them too. But rats aren’t like what people think. They’re not dirty or diseased or anything like that if they’re not wild. There were always a few of them in the labs. I liked them so much it got hard to work with them.” Bruce trails off. He never really talks about his job or even his life at all before the Avengers. Bucky’s always tried not to pry. He knows what it’s like not to want to talk.

“It’s just...” Bucky fidgets, unsure of how to say it. “They’re really little. A lot of pets are really little. I’m not, and I don’t want to hurt them by accident.”

“I know,” Bruce says, and Bucky believes he does. That must be what the Hulk feels like around other people all the time. “But look at Bucky Bear. He’s an old toy.”

Bucky Bear bristles at that. He’s not old, he’s period-accurate. And anyway, at least he wasn’t assembled for pennies in some factory on the other end of the world.

“I guess,” Bucky mutters.

“He’s more delicate than your other bears,” Bruce continues, and Bucky Bear is quietly growling now. “But you’ve never hurt him, not even when you’re scared or mad.”

Bucky Bear did have a rip on his shoulder seam once. But Bucky had only seen it when he took off Bucky Bear’s jacket for washing, and he doesn’t know where it came from. Bucky Bear’s never blamed Bucky for it. It might have even been there before Tony gave Bucky Bear to Steve.

He can’t think of anything to say to that, so Bucky just shrugs.

“I think any pet you choose would be happy,” Bruce says. “No matter how small. What does Bucky Bear think?”

“He wants a pet bear, but Tony said no.”

Bruce smiles at that, ducking his head down a little as he does. “Like he’s never built a robot lion before he sobered up.”

“Tony did _what_?” Bucky asks. Bucky Bear is horrified at the thought of such an appallingly stupid decision.

“That’s all I know.” Bruce shrugs. “He wouldn’t let Pepper tell me anything else. You could have a water bear, but you’d need a microscope to see it.”

Bucky Bear wants to know what a water bear is, so Bruce pulls up a holoscreen and they sit in the tent, watching videos about microscopic bears that can live in space.

*

“You ready?” Steve asks, clicking his seatbelt.

The Soldier’s right hand twists around his own belt up near his shoulder, his left hand rubbing at Bucky Bear’s nose. The bear has to be party to these proceedings. Any pet will affect his life as much as it will the Soldier’s. “Steve,” he says, and can’t think of any words to follow.

“Yeah, Buck?” Steve’s brow furrows; the Soldier’s hesitation must be visible. “Something wrong?”

“What if—” The Soldier’s mouth is dry. This is a gift for him, a real gift, not the sort of tricks that Pierce used to play, and he feels so ungrateful. “What if there aren’t any animals I think are right?”

“Then we don’t have to get any,” Steve says at once. There’s no noticeable disappointment in his face, which makes it that much easier for the Soldier to breathe. “We can always look later. And Bucky, if you don’t think you want a pet, you don’t have to get one. I just thought you might like one, that’s all.”

“I would!” The Soldier blurts it out before he can think, really, but it’s not a lie. He thinks of Lucky and how happy Clint looks when the dog tries to sneak onto his lap. He thinks of Crystal and the hours he’s spent at her apartment, watching her wave around toys for Pico de Gato to chase. They look content. He likes that. “I would. But I don’t know if I can care for one.”

“What makes you think that?” Steve asks.

The Soldier had expected immediate protests to the contrary, and though he can’t say why, Steve’s asking makes it easier to speak. “I...I’ve spent so long hurting things. It’s taken so much time learning how to interact with other people again, and I still make mistakes. Animals are smaller and...and what if I have a bad day and can’t take care of it, or hurt it by accident—”

“Bucky,” Steve says. He puts his hand over the Soldier’s, still wound in the seatbelt. “Look, I know things are different. But you’re so much like I remember, more than you know.”

The Soldier isn’t sure what to say.

“You’re so caring. Always have been. Even if you used to show it by busting my nose to keep me from getting it busted by kids who’d do a lot worse after.”

The Soldier can’t remember ever punching Steve as a child. The thought makes his stomach ache.

“Listen.” Steve settles back, though his hand stays on the Soldier’s. “I know it’s hard, working past everything you were made to do, to believe about yourself. But you care so much. Back when we were growing up, you used to try and hide it, acted like it was the biggest inconvenience to bring me my books when I was sick, or saying your ma _made_ you bring over soup when we were low on food. You looked out for everyone in the army, even before the Commandos. I remember Morita told me the whole reason you were in Zola’s lab was ‘cause you volunteered. Didn’t want anyone else getting hurt.”

There’s an actual thirst in the Soldier’s throat. Sometimes, more than anything, he wants to remember the man he was. But all he has are blurry, fleeting glimpses.

“And you’re like that now too, even if it’s hard for you to see it, Buck. No matter if you’ve five, or the Soldier, or grown-up. Even if you’re not sure what space you’re in. You care. About the other Winter Soldiers, even if all they did was fight you. And wanting everyone to have a Christmas present that makes them happy, and getting hearing aids for Hawkbear so Clint wouldn’t feel alone. You even—” Steve pauses, swallows, like there’s something caught in his throat. “You even want to help Rumlow, after everything. HYDRA couldn’t take away how much you care no matter what they did to you, Bucky. And any pet you choose, if you want one, will feel as loved and cared for as everyone else in the tower does. I swear. Besides, if you ever feel too bad to get up, we’ll all help with your pet. That’s what families do.”

The Soldier’s eyes feel wet. He tries not to blink, unable to think of a reply.

“Do you want to go to the animal shelter?” Steve asks. His voice is gentle.

The Soldier nods, and Steve starts the car.

They’re out of the garage and several blocks away from the tower once the Soldier does speak. “Why did I act as if it inconvenienced me to care for you when we were children?”

Steve shrugs. “It wasn’t okay for boys to be that emotional, I guess.”

“That’s stupid,” says the Soldier, and Steve laughs.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

*

Both the lady at the animal shelter and the dozen or so websites Bucky had consulted on his phone said that guinea pigs need an adjustment period of about two days to become accustomed to their new surroundings. That means Bucky’s supposed to leave the guinea pig in his cage with a blanket over top for a couple of days so the guinea pig can adjust with less stress.

Steve had gone to get the cage and other supplies while Bucky waited at the animal shelter, letting the guinea pig sniff his hand and speaking to him softly, telling him about the tower where he’d be staying, introducing himself and Bucky Bear and explaining about all the other bears, the Avengers, Tasha, and Lucky. It’s a big cage, three feet on its longest sides, with a layer of shredded paper bedding at the bottom and one of Bucky’s bed sheets over the top. He can hear the guinea pig rustling around inside, and he resists the urge to take a peek.

Later, the guinea pig will be able to explore the room. Bucky Bear will be on a shelf for this.

The guinea pig is mostly white with red splotches around either eye and a red backside. He doesn’t have a name yet; apparently he’d come to the shelter as a newborn without one. Bucky isn’t sure how to name anything other than adding bear to the end like he’d done with the Bearvengers.

He settles down on the floor, beside the cage. The rustling inside abruptly stops.

Bucky waits for it to start back up before he moves again. He shuffles back a little, speaking so faintly he can hardly hear himself. “Hey, little guy. I know this is all new and weird, but you’ll like it here, I promise. I was scared too when I first got here.”

This time, the rustling doesn’t stop.

Bucky smiles and pulls out his phone. He figures if Freddie got left out of the pet selection process, then she should at least have a say when it comes to naming.

“Hope you like dragon names,” he tells the guinea pig, starting a text. 

**Author's Note:**

> This installment was suggested by [WhatEvenAmI.](http://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatEvenAmI/pseuds/WhatEvenAmI)
> 
> A pet guinea pig for a former guinea pig. Because I'm the worst.
> 
> The tips about [acclimating a guinea pig to your home](http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/guinea_pigs/tips/bringing_new_guinea_pig_home.html) and [guinea pig cage sizing](http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/guinea_pigs/tips/guinea_pig_housing.html) come from the Humane Society.
> 
> There are [potting soils specifically for African violets, as well as experts who suggest bagging the plants after repotting.](http://www.optimara.com/africanvioletcare3.html)
> 
> Bucky gave Charlotte to Tasha earlier in the series, in [_Gather Near to Us_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2801459). It's mentioned that he watched _Finding Nemo_ in [_'Till the End of the Line_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2500715). Hawkbear got hearing aids to match Clint's in _[What Do You Offer?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4630899)_ , and the African violet first appeared in _[But Keep the Old](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4948756)_.
> 
> Check out these awesome APSHDS-inspired fics:
> 
>  _[A Coat of Many Colors](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9413663)_ by [VoiceOfNurse](http://archiveofourown.org/users/VoiceOfNurse/pseuds/VoiceOfNurse)  
> [ _Only babies need comfort_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9653282) by [Snowflakesandangels](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowflakesandangels/pseuds/Snowflakesandangels)
> 
> Come say hello on my [Tumblr](http://lauralot89.tumblr.com)!


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